After last year’s record 1,800 bikes parked in & around Asheville, Asheville on Bikes is striving to park 2,500 bikes this summer! But we can only do it with your assistance. By investing your time back into the community and joining us in this highly-visible activity, more people will realize how important bicycling is to Asheville. Please consider more than 1 event to volunteer for. Perhaps find a friend or two and consider an on-going event like RiverMUSIC or the Mountain Sports Festival. Also, I am looking to train a few corral managers to handle some events. Shoot me an email for more information.

Remember…When YOU show, WE grow!

May 17th DTA5, 5 pm to 9 pm, Corner of Lexington & Hiawassee – Strive Not to Drive is staffing the corral, but by all means, Ride Your City. PLUS, the Bright Light Biker will be held immediately following…

May Bright Light Biker, Fri. May 17th, 9 pm – til, Packing up corral at DTA5 and transporting it to ABC on Coxe Ave. Could use 4 or 5 folks to assist. Food and Drink perks at ABC.

The good folks of Asheville Brewing are providing $100 cash prize for the best illuminated bicycle. And a $100 gift certificate for the runner up. Ride your City well illuminated.

Montford Music & Arts Festival, Sat. May 18th. 10 am – 7 pm.  Shifts are a ‘flexible’ 2 1/2 hour block of time. 10 am -12:30 pm, 12:30 – 3 pm, 3 – 5:30 pm, and 5:30 – 7:30 pm. 1-2 people are needed each shift. Festival is dry. Click for location.

May RiverMUSIC, Fri. May 24th, 5 pm – 10 pm along Riverside Drive, between Craven St. bridge and 12 Bones (across river from New Belgium site). Shifts are 4:45 pm to 7:15 and 7:15 to 9:45 pm. Need 2 folks early, then 1 for late shift. Performers include: >stephaniesĭd, Mary Frances and The Dirty Classics, and Molly Parti. 

Mountain Sports Festival, Fri. May 24th, 4 pm to 10 pm, Carrier Park. Shifts are 3:45 to 5 pm, 5 to 7, 7 to 10 pm. 2 volunteers needed per shift.

Mtn. Sports Festival, Sat. May 25th, 12 pm to 10 pm, Carrier Park. Shifts are 12 pm to 2 pm, 2 to 4, 4 to 6, 6 to 8, and 8-10 pm. 2 volunteers needed per shift.

Mtn. Sports Festival, Sun. May 26th, 12 pm to 6 pm, Carrier Park. Shifts are 12 pm to 2 pm, 2 to 4, and 4-6:30 pm. 2 volunteers needed per shift.

Beer City Festival, Sat. June 1, 1 pm to 6 pm. Pack Square Park. 1 volunteer needed each shift, 1 pm to 3:30 pm, and 3:30 to 6 pm. Since this is a ticketed event, volunteering does not include any perks. 

June RiverMUSIC, Fri. June 14th. 5 pm to 10 pm, along Riverside Dr. Shifts are 4:45 pm to 7:15 and 7:15 to 9:45 pm. Performers include: G.E.D. Soul Records Showcase!, DeRobert & The Half-Truths, The Coolin’ System, and AJ & The Jiggawatts & Empire Strikes Brass. Need 2 folks early, later shift is covered.

June DTA5, Fri. June 21st, 5 pm to 9 pm, Corner of Lexington & Hiawassee - ProBikes is sponsoring the corral.

July RiverMUSIC, Fri. July 12th, along Riverside Dr. Shifts are 4:45 pm to 7:15 and 7:15 to 9:45 pm. Need 2 volunteers per shift.

July DTA5, Fri. July 19th, 5 pm to 9 pm, Corner of Lexington & Hiawassee – **Your business could be the official Corral Host. Contact Z at aobikecorral@gmail.com for more info.**

Show your support for cyclists and pedestrians in Buncombe County! Cut and paste the following and send it to Anthony Tata, Secretary of Transportation (ajtata@ncdot.gov), Michael Wray, NCDOT Project Development and Environmental Analysis Unit (mgwray@ncdot.gov), and AoB (ashevilleonbikes@gmail.com) before this Wednesday, May 8.

If you’d like to step away from the computer screen for a moment, you can also have your say by calling Michael Wray at (919) 707-6050.

Dear Mr. Tata and Mr. Wray:

NCDOT’s proposed changes to the I-26 / Brevard Road (191) interchange in Buncombe County stand in clear violation of NCDOT’s own Complete Streets Guidelines and Healthy Transportation Policy, and disregard both the NCDOT/MPO-funded Buncombe County Greenways and Trails Master Plan and the NCDOT-funded City of Asheville Bicycle Plan. I urge you to bring this project into compliance with these guidelines, for the benefit of all road users.

This project currently does not accommodate people of all ages and abilities, including people too young to drive, people who cannot drive, and people who choose not to drive–all groups expressly mentioned in NCDOT’s Complete Streets Guidelines. The pedestrian and bicycle facilities included on this project are minimal or inconsistent in how they were presented at the recent public comment session, and NCDOT’s handouts failed to mention any mode of transportation beyond the vehicular. In failing to accommodate access for all users, the design elements shown at the workshop do not comply with the “Purpose of the Project” statement, which acknowledges that “NC 191 (Brevard Road) connects residential, workplace, shopping, recreational, and visitor destinations in South Asheville.” With Asheville’s designation as a Bicycle Friendly Community, the enormous economic benefit of bicycle infrastructure, and multimodal transportation on the rise nationwide, surely NCDOT doesn’t believe that these connections occur only by car and truck?

When our own citizens are left out of project considerations, and when state and local guidelines are cast aside, we all lose. I ask you to ensure that this major project complies with the NCDOT Complete Streets Guidelines, the NCDOT Healthy Transportation Policy, Buncombe County’s Greenways Master Plan, and the City of Asheville’s Bicycle Plan. The changes you make will have a lasting impact on the people who live, work, and travel through Buncombe County, and I urge you to remember travelers in all modes of transportation as you complete this project.

Thank you,
Concerned Citizen and Cyclist

Lack of adherence to NCDOT’s Complete Streets Policy and Guidelines: NCDOT’s Complete Streets policy (2009) states a few things that are not adequately addressed in this project:

• NCDOT’s Complete Streets Guidelines state (p. 13): ”This complete streets approach aligns with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) 2010 policy statement for complete streets, which states that ‘Transportation programs and facilities should accommodate people of all ages and abilities, including people too young to drive, people who cannot drive, and people who choose not to drive.’ The policy also states that “The establishment of well-connected walking and bicycling networks is an important component for livable communities, and their design should be a part of Federal aid project developments.”

• We do not believe that Complete Streets, as defined above and in NCDOT’s Complete Streets materials, means building the absolute minimum accommodations necessary, which is what has been done with this project. This project does not accommodate people of all ages and abilities, including people too young to drive, people who cannot drive and people who choose not to drive. The pedestrian and bicycle facilities included on this project are minimal or inconsistent in how they were presented at the workshop.

• The handouts distributed at the workshop only reference vehicular Level of Service, with nothing mentioned about level or quality of service for other modes and how NCDOT considered this project in the context of Complete Streets and its own associated policies.

• In failing to accommodate access for all users, the design elements shown at the workshop do not appear to comply with the “Purpose of the Project” statement acknowledging that “NC 191 (Brevard Road) connects residential, workplace, shopping, recreational, and visitor destinations in South Asheville.” Is NCDOT only considering that these connections are only to occur by car and truck?

Inconsistency between I-26/NC 191 project and the NCDOT-funded City of Asheville Bicycle Plan (2008): The City’s bicycle plan was funded by a planning grant from NCDOT. Part of NCDOT’s pitch in awarding such grants is that cities will be in a position to have the recommendations of these plans incorporated into NCDOT project design.

• The bicycle plan notes the conditions for shared lanes (p.32 of the City’s Bicycle Plan) but NCDOT did not follow this in its proposed design, which included a 14-foot shared outside lane: “Shared Roadways: Shared roadways are streets and roads where bicyclists can be served by sharing the travel lanes with motor vehicles. Usually, these are streets with low traffic volumes and/or low speeds, which do not need special bicycle accommodations in order to be bicycle-friendly.” This does not reflect the conditions on NC 191-Brevard Road.

• Page 54 of the City’s Bicycle Plan illustrates route recommendations with Brevard Road showing a need for Bicycle Lanes. A bridge built over an interchange is likely to have a 50-75-year life span. This decision will nullify the publicly-vetted recommendations of the City’s Bicycle Plan for that timeframe. Page 60 indicates this bicycle lane should be accommodated through roadway construction and a lane diet, neither of which was on display in the drawings provided at the workshop.

• Page 61: “Action 1.1: Provide Bicycle Facilities on Designated Streets…where bike lanes are recommended…” includes Brevard Road. Brevard Road is not listed with the set of Shared Roadways.

Inconsistency between I-26/NC 191 project and NCDOT/MPO-funded Buncombe County Greenways and Trails Master Plan (2012): The plan was adopted in September 2012 showing a multi-use pathway along the east side of NC 191, following the DOT right-of-way to a culvert south of the interchange. County staff met with NCDOT Division 13 staff in summer 2012, prior to adoption of the plan and when it was known that NCDOT is looking at the I-26/NC 191 interchange.

• During the workshop, only reasons to not accommodating the greenway plan along right-of-way were given, with representatives acting as if it couldn’t happen. It sounded as if a “final design decision” had been made to not accommodate the greenway despite statements in the meeting handouts to the contrary.
• This violates the tenets of NCDOT’s Complete Streets and Health-Transportation policies in several ways.

In Hannah’s own words:

First off, I want to thank everyone for taking a little time to read this message. My name is Hannah Siler and I’m a freshman at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. I’m originally from Asheville, North Carolina, where I was introduced to road biking and mountain biking. My dad, Marshall Siler, who is an avid biker who just completed a 2,000 mile bike ride following the Lewis and Clark trail out west, introduced me to cycling and really inspired me to take on the challenge I have committed to for this coming summer. I will embark on a bike ride across the country, beginning in Providence, RI, and ending in Half Moon Bay, CA. The purpose of this ride, besides providing a great way of traveling around the country, is to raise money and awareness for affordable housing projects across the country. Throughout the ride, I will be stopping in cities and towns throughout the country to lend a personal hand in building houses on build days and educating town members on the importance and necessity of affordable housing for the community. In order to be able to participate in the ride however, I will need to have raised $4,500 by April, and I am reaching out to anyone and everyone who would be willing to help!

I will be doing this ride through an organization called Bike & Build. Bike and Build is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2002. Since their start, they have raised and granted over $3.38 million dollars to various affordable housing organizations. The case study that was done in 2011 showed that 335 affordable housing organizations in 48 states received Bike & Build grants, totaling $608,023. The riders pedaled 1.05 million miles and volunteered nearly 20,000 hours in 103 build sites.

You may be wondering why affordable housing is such a pressing issue in the US, especially compared to the many environmental problems and other societal issues that receive broader attention. I certainly asked this question before I researched the topic more in depth. The need for affordable housing comes from an increase in homelessness, poor living conditions, overcrowding in homes, and high prices that cause families to spend more than 30% of their gross income on housing. These conditions negatively impact individual families as well as the community as a whole, as they discourage local economic investment, undermine health, and widen the gap between the upper and lower class. However, the transformational ability of sufficient affordable housing is great. According to the Habitat for Humanity website, clean, decent, and stable housing provides stability for families and children, a sense of dignity and pride, health security and physical safety, and an increase of educational and job prospects. Affordable housing also allows for greater means of wealth creation, which could lead to more community investment, involvement and development. From what I can tell, affordable housing can cause positive, healthy effects to infiltrate many aspects of society.

My reasons for partaking in this journey across the country and the fundraising before I leave is mostly that I want to continue using my time not spent in school, like summer and other breaks, for amazing and unique experiences, but up the ante a bit and use these experiences to make an impact on other people and communities. Bike and Build includes some of my passions of traveling and biking, but also has components that are completely new to me, like intense manual labor and fundraising (on a larger scale than for middle school band). I want to make my experiences have more of a statement of purpose, so then I can build on them and continue to help people and places in new and exciting ways.

As I participant, I will be asked to raise $4,500 dollars by the end of the semester, hopefully by the end of April. $500 of this will go to the affordable housing charity of my choice. The rest will be given to Bike & Build to be made in to grants to give to affordable housing organizations around the country. A portion of the money will be used to cover travel expenses along the ride such as camp sites, travel gear, and fuel for the support trailers, but all of the money will be used for either our bike trip of granted to charities. In order to do this, I’m reaching out to anybody who would be willing to donate any amount of money to support my ride and spreading awareness on the need of affordable housing. Any amount would be amazing. I’ll be sure to send a shout out to any donators on my Facebook page for my ride. Additionally, please share this email to anyone who would be interested! I’m trying to expand my network as much as possible. Thanks for your time and support!

Sincerely,
Hannah Siler
hlsiler@live.unc.edu

Find Hannah on facebook or at Bike and Build’s website.

The Bike of the Irish will roll on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17. Gather in front of City Hall at 1pm; we’ll set out at 1:30pm, gliding through downtown, then exploring neighborhoods and greenways north and west before finishing up around 3:30 at the Wedge. (Map of the route here.)

Bring your friends, bring your family, bring your out-of-town guests. As always, we’ll move at a rolling social pace, and absolutely everyone is welcome. AoB rides are a wonderful introduction to urban cycling–we aim to show people both on the bike and off that we belong on the streets of Asheville.

The wearin’ o’ the green is encouraged. RSVP and share the word on facebook. Last year’s ride was had a record-breaking turnout–let’s top it this year!

If you’re interested in volunteering, consider becoming a member of the Pedal Patrol. You’ll help guide riders along the route, direct traffic at intersections, provide minor mechanical support, and make sure no one gets left behind. Email pedalpatrol@ashevilleonbikes.com for more info.

Where will you be Saturday, February 23?
What will you be doing?

You already know the answers, but let us be clear:
You’ll be in West Asheville, rocking your chamois off at AoB’s Sixth Bike Love Fundraiser & Fest.

That’s right: Bike Love is crossing the French Broad this time around, heading for 742 Haywood Road, and an action-packed evening at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall.

Bike Love kicks off at 6:00, with a meeting of the multimodal minds: For the first time ever, every regional bicycle and multimodal transportation plan will be presented under one roof. Come for dinner, drinks, and vital information about the future of transportation in Asheville.

After you fill your head with the good news, you can feast your eyes on our silent auction items–we’ve got sweet loot rolling in from our amazing sponsors, including an official BMC jersey autographed by George Hincapie, a prize pack from Walz Caps, a sweet rear rack from Arkel, and so much more. All proceeds from the silent auction benefit AoB’s after-school bike programs, so don’t be shy with those bids–it’s for the children, remember?

Next, buy your raffle tickets (info below), grab a beverage, and prepare to move your feet: At 9:00, Jim Arrendell & The Cheap Suits will fill the dance floor with their soulful, old-school R&B groove. At 11:00, DJ Marleykeeps the party going into the wee hours. Set your pace, and stay with us until the finish line.

Bike Love rolls into Isis on Saturday, February 23, from 6pm until the wheels fall off. Tickets on sale now at local bike shops for $12, or pay $15 at the door on February 23. All proceeds support AoB.

Hey Asheville have you heard about Clips of Faith yet? You still have time to learn all you need to. Ride on over to Pack Square by 7p.m. and park for free at Bike Corral. Then enjoy the food, flicks, and beers till around 10! Bring cash for food and beverages though. See ya Friday!!!

What do you think? Could this be the new hip way to roll around town? Unfortunately unless you have been to Scandinavia recently you may have never heard of this fantastic piece of bike tech. From their website:

“ Hövding is a collar for bicyclists, worn around the neck. The collar contains a folded up airbag that you’ll only see if you happen to have an accident. The airbag is shaped like a hood, surrounding and protecting the bicyclist’s head. The trigger mechanism is controlled by sensors which pick up the abnormal movements of a bicyclist in an accident.”

Follow the link for more detailed explanation of the intriguing piece of safety gear. http://www.hovding.com/en/how/ I think it’s pretty cool.

Bicycling.com has a great review section for all the new lights available for your illumination needs.  Autumn is swiftly approaching and as the days get shorter we loose our extra daytime- funtime, but they will also get cooler and then we all have nice and cool fall rides to look forward to(like the Pumpkin Pedaller)! So for those of you in need of a new light check these nifty new designs. Follow another link down the internet rabbit hole, towards some rad bike lights.

http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/bikes-and-gear-features/princeton-tec-push

Ride safe and ride often.

It is my pleasure write a letter in support of the Buncombe County Greenways + Parks Master plan being submitted to the commission on September 4, 2012.

Asheville On Bikes is in full support of the plan, and is excited to see the county advance pedestrian infrastructure.  This is a legacy that this commission will be remembered for in the years to come as the 89 miles of trails and greenways are developed with private and public members of the community and businesses.

In conclusion, we fully support the efforts of the Parks and Recreation Department as they seek external funding to support a program designed to build a greenway system in Buncombe County.  We have seen the safety and economic development impacts of greenways around the country and support those willing to advance Buncombe County.

 Sincerely,

(your name)

2. Attend the Buncombe County Commissioner’s Meeting w/ Bicycle Helmet.

We want the commissioners to see support for Buncombe County greenways. Attend the meeting on Sept. 4th with your bicycle helmet. Send a silent and power message of support during the meeting.  We want to keep the chamber full of support. The Commissioner’s meeting begins at 4:30 on Sept. 4th and meets at the County Building located 30 Valley St.

 3. Forward this email along to people and organizations on your list. Let’s demonstrate that support for greenways runs deep throughout our county.

Once again, thank you for your participation and investment  in Asheville on Bikes. When you show, we grow.

Riding for Education

Marshall Siler is an average guy, except that he plans to go to extraordinary lengths to show his appreciation for teachers in the Asheville City Schools. Marshall is riding his bike from South Dakota to Oregon to raise money and awareness for the Asheville City Schools Foundation (ACSF).  ”My daughters attended Isaac Dickson Elementary, Asheville Middle, and Asheville High. They are successful today because they had great teachers every step of the way.” Siler feels strongly about public schools and is dedicating his ride to support the Foundation’s work in providing afterschool programming, arts education, professional development for teachers, and grassroots education reform.  “My goal is to raise $20,000 that will all go directly to the Foundation to help them continue to empower teachers and create success for kids. I hope these funds offset budget cuts that have been devastating.”

 ”Our public schools need champions. Our district schools are open to every child – those with resources and those living in deep poverty. It’s our job to make sure children thrive, but schools can’t do it alone. We need champions like Marshall to advocate for public schools, and to be willing to pay it forward for the next generation of kids,” says Kate Pett, Executive Director of the ACSF

 You can learn more about the ACSF and make a donation to support Marshall’s ride here www.acsf.org/community/rideforpubliceducation.

Clips of Faith

Next weekend, Downtown Asheville will host the New Belgium Clips of Faith beer and film tour. Mark your calendars for Friday September 7th in Pack Square Park on the Roger McGuire Green. The event starts at 7 and will go till around 10 and the films will begin at dark. In addition to some fun flicks and great beer, all of the proceeds go directly to Asheville on Bikes and bicycle advocacy in Asheville!

Reed Creek Greenway Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Following the festivities of Friday night come to Reed Creek Greenway for a ribbon cutting celebration, Saturday September 8th.  Join the City of Asheville Greenway Commission and the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club to celebrate another section opening of our Greenway system. After the ribbon cutting there will be a guided walking and bike tour. The events is at the corner of Cauble St and Broadway(425 Broadway St, Downtown Asheville.

Assorted Nuts

These folks have some gnarly stories about road riding. These folks are lucky and are still riding. 360 degrees of awareness is requisite for riding.

We have the Pumpkin Pedaller coming up in October so start thinking of your costumes!